Just My Luck
by KomodoClassic
Summary: Chris Merrick is being beaten up-a depressingly average day for him. Then Becca steps in, and everything changes. Chapter 1 of Storm, from Chris' point of view. Oneshot.


**So, in honor of the release of the fifth and final book of Brigid Kemmerer's fantastic Elemental series, I'm posting this little thing I wrote a while back. This is the first chapter of _Storm_, the first book in the series, from Chris Merrick's point of view. Yeah, yeah, switched POV is cliché...but I actually like it, so I'm posting it. I figure I can't possibly be the only fan of this severely underappreciated series, right?**

**/end author's note**

* * *

><p>I struggled to free myself from the headlock. Seth threw a punch to my stomach. I gritted my teeth—I wasn't going to yell. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction.<p>

Even if he was standing on concrete.

I managed to get my hands under Tyler's arms and wriggle out of the headlock, but got another blow from Seth—to the head this time. Nice reward.

Tyler punched me one more time. I lost my footing, and I knew it was over—I couldn't get away from them now. I curled up as Seth kicked me in the stomach, again and again.

Tyler nudged me with his foot. Then he kicked.

"Get up."

"Yeah," said Seth. "How did you get rid of them?"

I couldn't speak, and a second later there was no need. A pair of headlights was headed straight for us. Tyler and Seth scrambled out of the way.

The car skidded to a stop, sideways, only a few feet short of me.

"I called the cops!" someone shouted from the car. "They're on their way!"

Tyler and Seth bolted.

And I blacked out.

Water.

It trickled down the side of my face, whispering things I couldn't quite hear…

_It's a trap._

I was up and swinging, wanting to take them down with me. If they were bringing me around to put me out again, there was going to be hell to pay. From Gabriel if not me…

My fists hit air. With no resistance, I staggered and fell, coughing and spitting blood.

It was a girl. I recognized her…. Becca? Becky? Something like that. She was a junior like me; that much I was sure of. I didn't really know her.

She was an outsider. Different reasons, but that was something we had in common.

Anyway, she was giving me water, and she didn't appear to be a threat.

"You gave me water," I croaked. God, was that my voice? I was having trouble breathing…

"Yeah," she said. "Those guys—they could come back—"

"Are you stupid?" I asked before I really thought about it. I winced inwardly as I heard myself ask the question. She wasn't an Elemental. She'd never help me if she was. She had no way of knowing I could have hurt her. Water…it wasn't as volatile as fire, but it had a violent side.

"Funny, I was just asking myself that," she snapped in an acid tone. I'd offended her.

Of course I had. "No. I just—I could have hurt—" I coughed hard and leaned down, resting my head on the ground. Good. Solid.

"Do you have a cell phone?" she asked, looking around. "You need an ambulance."

"I need a frigging rainstorm." I laughed without humor. "A drizzle. Fog even."

She stared at me for a couple of seconds.

Not an Elemental. She thought I was crazy. She shook her head and asked, "Can you get into the car? I can drive you to the hospital."

"No. Home." I'd heal better there than at any hospital. No doctor would let me sit in the rain and let it fix my injuries.

"Whatever. Get in the car. Those guys could come back, and I'm not—"

A hand grabbed her arm.

"Did you think we wouldn't wait and see?" Tyler's voice asked.

"Big surprise, no sirens." Seth said.

Seth dragged me to my feet. "This is gonna suck," I muttered.

"Let me go," she said, no emotion on her face. No fear. "I didn't call the cops, but he did."

Tyler smiled. "We took his phone."

"Good try," I muttered. God, why couldn't I stop coughing? Seth sank a rock-solid fist into my side, and I dropped to the pavement.

I could only see their shoes from this angle. Was Tyler shoving Becky against her car?

"You should've driven away, sweetheart."

"Nah, that right there is dessert," Seth replied.

"Yeah, dessert."

A couple of violent-sounding noises reached my ears, and Tyler staggered back. "Bitch! You bitch!"

I didn't know what she'd done, but I took advantage of the distraction to try and get up.

"Shut _up_, Tyler," Seth hissed. "She might not have called the cops, but you're gonna—"

I was back on my feet. And Becky had dropped a water bottle.

I grabbed it.

"Freeze. Right there," I said. Tyler and Seth went still.

Smart boys.

"Back off, or I'll mean that literally," I threatened.

"Yeah, right," scoffed Seth. "It's only one bottle."

I shook it, and a smirk spread over my face as the water sloshed. "Try me."

"Chill out, man," Tyler said, but they were backing away. "We're just screwing around."

"Yeah." I barked out a laugh and swiped at my split lip. "Feels like it. Take another step back."

They did. I glanced at Becky. She was staring at me like I was completely insane.

Not an Elemental. To her it probably looked like I'd just threatened to splash them. She had no idea what water was to me.

"Becky, get in the car," I said.

"Becca," she corrected. Her voice shook and her hands were still fists.

"For God's sake—" I rolled my eyes. "Just get in the car."

Becca scrambled into the driver's seat. I walked backward, keeping the water where Seth and Tyler could see it. The threat—_I will freeze your eyes inside your skulls_—went unspoken. I jerked the back door open and pretty much fell into the seat. I felt like shit.

"Drive," I ordered.

Becca slammed the accelerator and the car shot forward. She swerved through the parking lot and fishtailed.

I swore and grabbed hold of the seat. "Drive without killing me," I coughed. "I should have clarified."

She drove out of the parking lot and onto the main road. Houses flickered past on the empty street. She barely even slowed down at the stop sign and screeched through the turn.

"Hey," I said quietly. "Take it easy. Their car was on the other side of the cafeteria. You can slow down."

The car slowed to a speed that was only a little bit illegal. "What did they want? That one guy doesn't go to our school."

"Not anymore." Tyler didn't go to college, but he was college-aged. "Thanks."

"Um…do you want me to take you to the hospital?"

"Nah. Home." I let my eyes fall half-closed and rested my head against the back of the seat. "If you don't mind."

"Aren't your parents gonna freak when they see you?" she asked.

I flinched. "I'd probably freak if I saw _them_," I said with a rough laugh.

A boom of thunder broke into my sentence like punctuation. Raindrops splattered on the windows.

"Figures," I mumbled. "_Now_ it rains." Just my luck. Typical of my whole family, actually. Being marked for death kind of ruins your life.

"Where do you live?" Her question broke into my thoughts.

"On Chautauga Court. We're the blue house at the end."

She nodded. I stared at her in the mirror. She glanced back and our eyes locked.

Awkward? A little.

I smirked. "You're probably thinking I owe you my life," I said.

She jerked her eyes back on the road and snapped, "No, just sixty bucks."

"You charge for the hero act?" I asked sardonically.

She glanced back again. "I really think I should take you to the hospital. You probably have broken ribs or something. They can call your parents from there."

"Why? You think they have an Ouija board?" I said. I winced at my own tone. She didn't know.

She looked at me. Probably thought I had a concussion. Any normal person would think I was insane.

Better dispel that illusion. The last thing my family needed was rumors about my sanity, and Becca had already seen some things that probably had her questioning it. "My parents are _dead, _Becca. Do you think you could open a window?"

She opened it a few inches. I sighed. "Thanks." The damp air settled on my skin. I shut my eyes and let the darkness take me. I didn't even care right now.


End file.
